Why Documenting Student Learning Matters A Policy Statement from NILOA Natasha Jankowski, Jillian Kinzie & George Kuh

Our session will draw from this document, which has been posted and which we hope some of you may have had a chance to look at. In case note, we’ve prepared a brief version of the key principles we’ll be discussing today—on your chairs.

NILOA www.learningoutcomesassessment.org Since 2008, our mission is to discover and disseminate effective use of assessment data to strengthen student learning and advance high quality, actionable assessment work. ● Surveys ● Web Scans ● Case Studies ● Focus Groups ● Occasional Papers ● Website ● Resources ● Newsletter ● Listserv ● Presentations ● Transparency Framework ● Featured Websites ● Accreditation Resources ● Assessment Event Calendar ● Assessment News ● Measuring Quality Inventory ● Policy Analysis ● Environmental Scan ● Degree Qualifications Profile/Tuning ● DQP Campus Coaching ● Assignment Design and Online Library ● Emerging Learning System Networking www.learningoutcomesassessment.org

Thank people for ideas and add in some further elements of context for the NILOA statement….. Connect last point especially to what we may have heard from participants CONTEXT: Widely circulated statements indicating basic misunderstandings of outcomes assessment (Shireman—don’t need to mention him) Skepticism about whether assessment is delivering on its promises Prevalence of a compliance mentality But also: promising practices and examples from campuses NILOA works with or hears from

Assessment focuses our attention on learning. That matters. Assessment does not make colleges better.

Promising Practices

Promising Practices

Our session will draw from this document, which has been posted and which we hope some of you may have had a chance to look at. In case note, we’ve prepared a brief version of the key principles we’ll be discussing today—on your chairs.

Five Principles for Consequential Assessment Develop specific, actionable learning outcomes statements Connect learning goals with actual student assignments and work Collaborate with relevant stakeholders, esp faculty Design assessment approaches that generate actionable evidence about student learning that stakeholders understand and use to improve student and institutional performance Focus on improvement, and compliance will take care of itself. Quick walk through. Maybe have a handout with these on it—just the principles with a short blurb about each maybe. I think WASC will post the document in advance (as we said in our proposal) so people can look at it before the session—or during. Of course I’m not sure how they could know to seek it out—we don’t say that in our abstract.

1. Develop specific, actionable learning outcomes statements 85% of campuses have SLO statements Concrete, clear proficiencies students are to achieve -- reference points for student performance of the cumulative effects of a program of study. I’m thinking we could divide up the 5 priciples—you take one (or two), I take one (or two), etc., and walk through each, If that makes sense, we can then each work out the bullet points or visuals or whatever for our respective themes. I’m kind of partial to #2 and 3. but will be happy with whatever. This walk through of points (which could include some impromptu exchange with the audience) will then set up the small group work,which needs a chunk or time. So maybe each of the principles gets about 2 minutes in this review section. If we could get to the group work by 2:45, that would leave 30 minutes for that and final discussion. 1. Develop, specific actionable learning outcomes statements. Concrete, clear proficiencies students are to achieve -- reference points for student performance of the cumulative effects of a program of study. Challenge is alignment with program and course level

The Alignment Challenge 85% of campuses have SLO statements Concrete, clear proficiencies students are to achieve -- reference points for student performance of the cumulative effects of a program of study. Challenge is alignment with program and course level

course-based assessments embedded in regular assignments The most meaningful, actionable evidence of student learning comes from: course-based assessments embedded in regular assignments Most meaningful, actionable evidence of student learning comes from: course-based assessments embedded in regular assignments signature assignments” and its partnership with the State Higher Education Executive Officers coordinating the Multi-State Collaborative (MSC). Faculty participating in such efforts design assignments for individual courses and also work to sequence assignments and incorporate high-impact practices across a program of study and across transfer pathways.

2. Connect learning goals with actual student assignments and work Faculty improve their assignments to more accurately align with intended proficiencies and evaluative criteria How do we limit “noise” and collect data to roll up from the assignment level?

Data Systems Systems approach – talk about the book

3. Collaborate with relevant stakeholders, beginning with the faculty Serious, sustained professional development Collaboration with others who work with students— student affairs staff and advisors– Serious, sustained professional development -- hosted venues where faculty come together to formulate and explore questions about their students’ learning Collaboration with others who work with students—such as student affairs staff and advisors– moves outcomes assessment from an “add on” to a process that is part and parcel to effective teaching and learning

Creating a Learning System A collaborative, embedded approach is needed to move us toward a coherent, integrated learning experience based on meaningful evidence of student learning drawn from various educational experiences

Ponder This Who do we need to partner with to create a system built from embedded meaningful student work to answer our institutional questions, and ensure data accuracy as well as address issues of validity and reliability?

Office of Student Learning Outcomes Assessment 4. Design assessment approaches that generate actionable evidence that stakeholders can understand and use Office of Student Learning Outcomes Assessment They ask questions about student performance to which faculty and others want answers. This means involving the right stakeholders—faculty, staff, students, governing board members, and others as appropriate—at the beginning of any assessment project to determine the questions it needs to answer.  They build interest and momentum by creating occasions for people to work together to raise issues and questions they care and need to know more about in order to improve student engagement and learning. And they bring these same people back together to make sense of the findings and tease out their implications for action.   They present assessment results in transparent, understandable forms to the people who have a need to know and act on them.

Institutions that effectively translate evidence into actions to enhance student accomplishment: Ask questions about student performance to which faculty & others want answers Build interest through occasions for people to work together to raise issues and questions they care and need to know more about Present assessment results in transparent, understandable forms

Meet Audience Specific Needs Do our reports address specific audiences? How much and what kind of contextual information do different audiences need? What counts as evidence for various audiences? These questions are important because the vast majority of information sharing occurs through posting of written reports

5. Focus on improvement and compliance will take care of itself.

Discussion What are you seeing on your campus related to these principles? What is the role of IR in supporting this work? Do we want to pause here for a moment and ask for reflection on the principles? See if they are seeing this on their campus and how it is going? Is it useful to ask something about the role of IR in supporting this work?

Reports, Resources & Reflections Comments and questions Resources for future work Closing reflections What else is needed to move the student learning outcomes and improvement agenda forward? The most important thing here is the first bullet— Depending on the number of tables we can hear from each, or just open for general comments. Maybe let that go for 10 minutes? Resources: we might go back to the NILOA website and highlight some things—this would work if we have a live internet connection. Closing reflections—just a minute or so for each of us to say something. If there’s still some time, invite any final comment from audience members. Alternative somewhere in here: ask people to write for one minutes about an idea they’re taking back to their campus. Hear some of these.

Thank You Resources NILOA newsletter Viewpoints Transparency Framework Assignment Library http://www.learningoutcomesassessment.org/eiadesignation.html